1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a culturing method, and more particularly, to a tissue culturing method of vascular plants and an explant obtained therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vascular plants, also known as tracheophytes, are defined as a large group of land plants having lignified tissues for conducting water and minerals throughout the entire plants; vascular plants comprise ferns. Ferns are characterized by reproduction of spores and alternation of generations. Although such vascular plants can spread their spores through various intermedia (such as wind and water) to propagate themselves, the spores are difficult to germinate due to poor competitiveness and environmental resistance in comparison with other fungi and bacteria. These vascular plants are less likely to be used in industries, even for highly valuable species such as ferns in the Davalliaceae and Drynariaceae families which have pharmaceutical properties, since they have poor reproduction systems.
In the conventional arts, tissue culture systems such as spore sterile propagation are used for mass propagation of said vascular plants. In the spore sterile propagation, a sterilized process is first carried out on spores of said vascular plants, followed by culturing the spores in artificial media for germinating. Under such culturing system, however, the spores require a long culturing period to germinate, and also may form disabled sporophytes due to the limitation of the artificial media, which results in poor propagation. This means that said vascular plants cannot be mass reproduced under the conventional tissue culture system.
There is therefore an urgent need for developing a new strategy to culture said vascular plants that is both effective and efficient.